NOT BEEN PUBLISHED AND HAS NOT
BEEN REVIEWED YET BY OTHER
SCIENTISTS.
WELL, ALONG WITH A NEW BABY
COMES A LONG LIST OF BIG
DECISIONS.
WHERE THE NEWEST FAMILY
MEMBER WILL SLEEP CAN BE ONE OF
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL.
15% OF PARENTS SAY THEY SHARE
SLEEP SPACE WITH THEIR CHILD
REGULARLY, AND MORE THAN HALF
HAVE DONE IT AT SOME POINT.
IT'S BEEN BILLED AS BOTH
BENEFICIAL AND DANGEROUS, AND AS
WCCO'S LIZ COLLIN DISCOVERED,
DMU RESEARCH ON BOTH SIDES HAS
ONLY FUELLED THE DEBATE.
WHEN THE HOOPERS BROUGHT
THEIR BABY HOME FROM THE
HOSPITAL, THERE WAS NEVER A
QUESTION WHERE TESLA WOULD
SLEEP.
YEP, SHE'S IN THE BED RIGHT
NOW.
RIGHT WHERE HER BIG SISTER
AND BROTHER SLEPT BEFORE.
MY HUSBAND KIND OF HAS HIS
LITTLE PILLOW BARRIER THERE.
AMANDA CONSIDERS HERSELF A
LIGHT SLEEPER.
SHE BELIEVES SHARING HER BED IS
BENEFICIAL TO NURSING AND
BONDING, AND SHE THINKS THEY
BOTH GET MORE SLEEP THIS WAY.
IT WORKS FOR US, AND IT'S
WORKED FOR OUR FAMILY.
IF AMANDA IS EXTRA TIRED, A
BASSINET IS NEARBY.
I WOULDN'T BE DOING IT IF FOR
US, IT WAS UNSAFE.
YOU JUST DON'T THINK THIS IS
GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU.
YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DON'T.
IT'S A SUBJECT KAREN WISHES
SHE DIDN'T KNOW SO WELL.
PRECIOUS LITTLE THING.
SHE MET HER SECOND
GRANDDAUGHTER ESME AT HOSPITAL
WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF HER BIRTH.
JUST A VERY SWEET LITTLE
GIRL.
SHE SHARED A SUMMER WITH ESME
AND HER SISTER UNTIL A PHONE
CALL CAME.
IT WAS AWFUL.
EARLY ONE SEPTEMBER MORNING.
JUST AWFUL.
THE FOUR-MONTH-OLD HAD
SUFFOCATED ON HER FATHER'S
STOMACH WHILE HE SAT UP ON THE
COUCH SLEEPING.
IT WAS, LIKE, THIS DOESN'T
HAPPEN.
THESE ARE TWO EDUCATED PEOPLE
GOING TO COLLEGE.
NO ALCOHOL INVOLVED, NO
MEDICATIONS.
AND IT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE.
NO CHARGES WERE R EVER FILED
AGAINST HER FATHER.
SO PREVENTABLE.
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN THREE
YEARS SINCE ESME DIED.
HER PARENTS DIVORCED SHORTLY
AFTER.
DESPITE HER GRIEF, KAREN
CONSIDERS IT HER DUTY TO TELL
HER GRANDDAUGHTER'S STORY.
PLEASE PUT YOUR BABIES IN
THEIR CRIBS.
LAST FALL, A STUDY BY THE
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOUND UNSAFE SLEEP ENVIRONMENTS
ACCOUNTED FOR NEARLY ALL
UNEXPECTED INFANT DEATHS IN THE
STATE.
OF THE 56 BABIES WHO DIED, 52
WERE IN WHAT DOCTORS DEEMED AN
UNSAFE SLEEP ENVIRONMENT.
HALF WERE SHARING A SLEEP
SURFACE WITH ANOTHER PERSON.
THE OTHER HALF WERE IN AN UNSAFE
SLEEP POSITION.
HERE IS ANOTHER THING THAT
REALLY PHYSICALLY NOTHING WRONG
WITH THEM AND IS DEAD BECAUSE OF
A RISK THAT THEY FACED.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
DIRECTOR SUSAN CASTILLANO
RECOMMENDS ROOM SHARING AS THE
BEST OPTION FOR PARENTS.
A LONG LIST OF CHILD SLEEPING
PRODUCTS MAKES THAT EASIER THAN
EVER BEFORE.
IT'S WHY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
STICKS TO ITS MESSAGE THAT
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS
COSLEEPING SAFELY.
IS THAT THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO
BE SENDING?
IN THE HEALTHY MOTHER, IN THE
HEALTHY TERM INFANT, I WOULD SAY
NO.
CATHERINE MASCARI IS A
CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIFE.
SHE SAYS SCIENCE SUPPORTS THE
VALUE OF SHARING A BED WITH YOUR
BABY.
IT'S LOVE.
IT'S PROMOTING GOOD NEUROLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT, LESS STRESS FOR THE
BABY.
MASCARI BELIEVES PARENTS NEED
TO BE BETTER INFORMED ON HOW TO
MAKE IT SAFE.
A FIRM MATTRESS AWAY FROM HEAVY
BLANKETS, PILLOWS, COUCHES, AND
CHAIRS.
WHILE SHE DOESN'T DOUBT
STATISTICS, SHE SAYS RESEARCH
SHOWS WHEN A BABY DIES
COSLEEPING, IT'S BECAUSE SAFETY
RULES WEREN'T FOLLOWED.
PUT OUT THERE IN SUCH A
MANNER THAT YOU DO THIS, THIS IS
GOING TO HAPPEN, WHEN THE
NUMBERS REALLY DON'T DEMONSTRATE
THAT.
AMANDA HOOPER HAS HEARD THE
TRAGIC STORIES, BUT IT HASN'T
CHANGED HER MIND.
SHE CONSIDERS IT A DECISION BEST
LEFT UP TO PARENTS, A DELICATE
BALANCE OF COMFORT AND SAFETY.
WE DO WHAT WORKS FOR OUR
FAMILY, AND I JUST HOPE THAT
EVERYBODY ELSE DOES WHAT WORKS
FOR THEIR FAMILY, AND THAT
THEY'RE SAFE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO.
LIZ SAYS WHETHER IT'S A
BABYSITTER OR GRANDPARENT,
EXPERTS ALL AGREE THAT WHOEVER
CARES FOR YOUR BABY NEEDS TO
KNOW THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS